


Last Resort

by piggypeach_xx



Series: World of Warcraft RP Scenes/One-Shots [7]
Category: World of Warcraft
Genre: F/M, Roleplay
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-07
Updated: 2020-01-07
Packaged: 2021-02-27 08:08:03
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,476
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22163815
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/piggypeach_xx/pseuds/piggypeach_xx
Summary: Talondressa receives information that causes her to nearly lose her mind. If it weren't for her generals, she may have been lost forever.
Relationships: Jace Darkweaver/Original Female Character(s)
Series: World of Warcraft RP Scenes/One-Shots [7]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1495901
Comments: 1





	Last Resort

**Author's Note:**

> {This scene takes place around the events of the end of patch 8.2.5 in World of Warcraft. It is a follow up for a roleplay scene that was written out between a friend of mine and I.}

The Slayer was left alone with her thoughts as Serafin vanished, her words echoing in Talondressa's mind without end. Solitary now, she faltered, leaning back against the font behind her for support. The true weight of the warning she'd received finally began to press down upon her unrelentingly, tightening her chest and stifling her breath. As she played the conversation over in her mind, pieces began to fall into place, one by one. 

Someone was coming for her. They were going to offer her immense power, but she was not to take it. The reason Serafin had stated was so that Talondressa would not become stronger than her. 

Talondressa's emerald brow crinkled and she muttered a curse under her breath; her gaze, which had been focused on the floor while she reflected, darkening terribly. If that had been the only reason--and not because it was dangerous or unspeakably horrific--then it was not a warning Talondressa was about to heed.

'Thanks to the essence, my powers will soon be beyond any on this planet or any other,' Serafin had said. Talondressa turned the words over in her head, taking shallow, shaky breaths as deep as her constricted, anxiety-ridden chest would allow her to. That sort of power would certainly aid her in the retrieval of her master--there was little doubt of it, if Serafin's declaration had been anywhere close to the truth. 

And, Talon slowly realized, it would aid the forces of Azeroth in the impending fight against N'zoth, the Old God.

"What?" the Slayer muttered to herself, bolting upright. "No. It cannot be. There is nothing in existence stronger than the powers of an Old God! What are you thinking?" 

She began to pace, feeling as though a rather large hand was slowly closing around her throat. She brought her own hand to it as she briskly walked about the chamber, gently rubbing the sides of it in an attempt to keep herself moderately calm.

She considered accepting the offer when it was given. What sort of fallout would there be? In the end, she thought, she would only be like Illidan, who drank the blood of his enemies in order to become like them, to outsmart them and to defeat them. Then he created more in his image to do the same. An army. And not for his own glory, but for the sake of Azeroth and its people. If she were to take this essence upon herself, she would do the same as her master, and then....

She paused in her walking, staring blankly into space. 

Perhaps then, she might finally become a worthy servant. 

She stood for several moments in absolute mental silence, that last thought lingering, touching her heart as nothing ever had. Her hand slipped from her throat and hung at her side once more, lips parting as her soft breath passed through them. Her chest relaxed, allowing air to breeze through with ease once more, and the wave of anxiety abated the more she considered, for the deepest, most honest truth of Talondressa was that she only wished to serve Illidan, whom she had respected --if not worshiped--since the day he rescued her from the demon world of Niskara. From the torturous demons that assaulted her day and night, and used her for their heinous rituals. By all accounts, Talondressa owed Lord Illidan her life. 

She would give it. 

Squaring her shoulders,Talondressa accepted her choice with confidence. She knew now, beyond any doubt, that she was doing the right thing. She spun on her heel and returned to the center of the chamber to continue her own rituals, and there she would wait for Serafin's master to arrive. She would be ready for them. She would take the essence. She would give her life to aid the Alliance in the fight against N'zoth...and she would make every attempt to bring Illidan back.

And at last, her life would gain true meaning.

-*-*-*-*-*-

Kayn Sunfury nodded his thanks to Matron Mother Malevolence as she directed her Shivarra to open the portal to the Fel Hammer. With everyone settled in at the Illidari encampment in Zandalar, Kayn had decided to return to the Slayer with an update while leaving the matron Shivarra in charge. She of course obliged, and Kayn knew very well that the camp would be left in capable hands. He also knew as he stepped through the portal, that Kor'vas would be doing the same, most likely meeting up with him to deliver news on the Alliance side of affairs. 

As he was sucked into oblivion and thrust onto the decks of the Fel Hammer, he grimaced and bore the nauseating feeling of it, gritting his teeth. It was never much fun for him to travel in this manner, but at times, it was required. And this, unfortunately, was one of those times. 

Now having arrived safely and in one piece, he exhaled in relief and gazed around the deck. Once full of demons and hunters alike, all serving one purpose and one great leader, they were now bitterly bare and empty. He frowned as the deafening silence roared in his ears, only faintly accompanied by the vague, dull ambience of Marduum, the demon planet over which hung the ship and longtime Illidari base. He had missed it all, though it was not the same without his comrades. 

Still, his Slayer was on board, at least to his knowledge, and that would suit him for now. Clearing his throat, and his mind of any lingering nostalgia and sadness for what once was, he squarely marched through the threshold and into the ship itself. He longed to take in the sight of the main deck; the floor upon which he, Kor'vas, and Talondressa stood for so long the year before, commanding together, and carrying on Lord Illidan's work in his stead...the runes one the walls, the three-dimensional map of the nearby universe floating above it all. The corpse of Brood Queen Tyranna, the previous commander of the Fel Hammer, whom they had killed as fledgling demon hunters in order to retrieve the Sargerite Keystone for their master so many years before, suspended from the very ceiling of the ship as a trophy. All of it had been like home to Kayn, but he was not one for sentimentality when duty called. He stalked across the side of the upper deck and turned down the sloping corridor which led to the bottom deck, where he knew Talondressa would be waiting. His jaw was set and his shoulders were square, his face blank as if nothing fazed him. And, for the most part, it was true. 

That is, until he stepped into the main room and saw the Slayer standing in front of the Fel front, chanting quietly as she read from a spellbook. He stopped dead in his tracks, watching her command the Fel with her free hand. It swirled and bubbled where she did not touch it, but where she did, it had coalesced into a scrying orb of sorts, and from it he could hear a faint howling, like wind being whipped by one's ears at a high speed. His eyes could not pick up fine details, but if they had been capable, he would have seen the endless, blackish galaxy upon which Talondressa's similarly limited gaze was fixed as she hummed the same words over and over, repeating an ancient spell of searching. 

Kayn, however, only knew she was commanding the Fel in a strange way that he had never before seen, and furrowed his brow, unafraid to confront his superior. "What in Illidan's name are you doing, Slayer Talondressa?" he asked directly, stalking towards her. 

Talondressa jumped, and not for the first time that day. Her hands dropped and the spell ended almost immediately, the Fel energies emitting a _hiss_ as their master released her touch and they settled back down to their natural state. The spellbook dropped to the stone floor with a thump, and the Slayer, meanwhile, had whirled on her heel to face the intruder; the second one to bother her in such a short amount of time. Her patience had grown thin, so her voice was tight and curt as she addressed him. 

"Kayn. I was not expecting you."

"You should have been." Sunfury replied gruffly, stopping merely a few yards away from her. "I'm here to fill you in on our progress in Zandalar. What are _you_ doing, Commander?" His eyebrow was raised in query as he posed the pointed question. 

Talon was uncharacteristically flustered. Perhaps it was because she was alone with one of her trusted generals. Or perhaps it was because she had not wanted to be caught doing what she had been. Either way, it took her several moments to formulate an answer, stuttering foolishly as she attempted. 

"I was--I just--The, uh--," she folded and unfolded her arms, taking a nervous step back from him. "N-nothing of consequence," she finally stated after swallowing nervously. "I was just...looking for something. But it's not important." Desperate to change the subject and regain her composure, she cleared her throat and soldiered on in her best commander voice, "What news do you bring?" 

Kayn studied her and said nothing for several moments, contemplating what to say, and whether to believe her or not. His thin lips pursed in consideration, and he crossed his arms while regarding his commander suspiciously. Talon felt like an ant under a boot while he scrutinized her.

Luckily, however, anything Kayn may have been about to say was interrupted by the sound of a faint male voice calling for others. Kayn stiffened and turned towards the sound, which was coming from the doorway in which he had previously entered. Muffled shouts of 'Hello?' 'Anyone here?' could be heard, growing louder and followed by footsteps that seemed to echo down the hallway. Talon peered over the Sin’dorei; as she herself was a Kaldorei and stood much taller than he, seeing easily over his head. 

"What is that," Kayn growled, slowly reaching for one of the glaives on his back. 

"Wait just a moment," Talon muttered back, lifting a hand as if to stop him. "I think I recognize that voice." In truth, the moment it got clearer, she had. It was Jace Darkweaver, a lieutenant of hers that she had been courting for some time. Though the war had taken its toll on both, as well as keeping them apart for so long with little to no contact, the Slayer's feelings for him had not faded. On the contrary; she often found herself missing him terribly. He was of the gentle sort; exceedingly patient, which Talon adored about him. A calm and steadying presence was he in the midst of her inner turmoil, and a strong anchor to keep her in the harbor of sanity. A voice of reason. Everything Talon never realized she had needed; only coming to know it after she'd had it and gone without it for some time. 

Now, since much time had passed, part of her wondered if Jace still had the same feelings for her. It had been at least five months since they had spoken; three since they'd even set eyes on each other. The war had truly separated them, which tore a new wound in Talondressa's already shredded heart. She could hardly bear the thought of Jace losing his love for her, merely seeing her as his commander, and no longer someone he was truly fond of. The ache in her chest as she considered it now was so great that the smallest whimper left her. 

Sudden panic and shame filled her in the next moment as she realized what she had done--show such deep emotions aloud--and she stiffened as her heart slammed in her chest. Utterly frozen in fear, she held her breath, bracing for Kayn's reaction, her hands balling into white fists at her sides.

But the sound had been completely drowned out by his own deep, gravelly voice as he spoke at the same time. "You do? Then who is it?" 

Before Talon could breathe a deep sigh of relief that her moment of weakness had gone unnoticed, her chest was wracked again with a deep, sudden pang of sadness and surprise as Jace rounded the corner and she was met with the sight of him. Luckily, his presence spoke for itself and she needed not answer Kayn, for in that moment she was not sure if she could have spoken steadily, if at all. 

"Ah, there you are!" came Jace's sweet, gentle voice. Like a trickling stream it had always been to Talon; calming and reassuring, though it did little to relax her now. Her ribs ached from the rate at which her heart pounded--unnaturally fast, to the point where Talon began to feel dizzy. But she held her ground, taking great pains to keep her expression neutral and her shaky, shallow breaths silent as he approached. 

"Jace?" Kayn asked, almost sounding puzzled. He removed his hand from his weapon with a frown. "Where is Kor'vas? I was expecting her."

"I'm sorry to disappoint," Jace replied lightly, with a chuckle. "I came in her stead."

"Is she alright?"

"Indeed. Quite well. I merely offered to bring the news to Talon myself…," he paused, clearing his throat and straightening to give a formal salute to his most superior commander. "I, er, mean the Slayer," he corrected himself. Talon's heart sank. 

"Well, at least one of you is here. She needs to be caught up quickly. I would have words with her after," the general stated brusquely, glancing back with what could have been a glare. 

Talon stayed completely silent, unsure of how to proceed calmly in such a state. Her chest rose and fell rapidly, but her breaths made no sound that the two men could hear, and that was enough for her in that moment. 

"May I ask why?" Jace questioned after a pause, his tone mild and curious. 

Kayn turned back towards the other man, considering whether to tell him or not. He knew vaguely of his courtship with the Slayer, and thought to himself that it would perhaps be in her best interest that he fill her boyfriend in on his worries, for perhaps he might have a better chance of getting to the bottom of things, and talking some sense into her.

Talondressa gritted her teeth and prayed he would not, but was immediately disappointed. 

"When I arrived, I witnessed her _toying_ with the Fel in that font, conjuring it into some sort of window...some sort of seeing eye," Kayn explained. "Chanting an archaic spell, in a language I didn't understand." 

The Slayer rose to her full height then, the need to defend herself overtaking her emotions. 

"I was merely looking for something," she all but snapped at her general, repeating what she had told him earlier. "Something important that will help us with the war." 

Kayn turned around completely this time to face her. "You said it _wasn't_ important," he shot back. 

Talon growled under her breath. "I was...on the spot. I just said what I needed to in the moment." 

"You know it's useless to mince words! And so often, you do not! What is different this time that you must go against your own nature in order to hide something from me?" Kayn jabbed his thumb into his chest. "Me!" he repeated incredulously. "Your own trusted general!" 

His words hit her, hard. They nearly knocked out of her what little air that remained, so that she was stunned into silence. Talondressa had never realized she was going against her nature; she had never thought of it that way. She felt quite the opposite, in fact. Was Kayn right in saying that? Or did he just misunderstand? 

A few moments of silence unaided by the clearer minds of others led her to believe the latter. She was about to say as much when Jace spoke up instead. 

"What's going on?" he asked earnestly, stepping closer to her so as to shorten the space between them. She could hear in his tone the desperation and hope that she'd come to know. It was the way he would speak when he wished to be let it on her deep thoughts; the ones she kept hidden away from everyone...except for him. When he spoke like that, with such a gentless Talon rarely experienced, it made it very difficult to deny him. 

The same would happen this time, too. Like muscle memory, her fragile heart opened to the one she'd slowly learned to trust, even if she was unsure of where they stood. 

"I was looking for...someone," she began slowly. She swallowed thickly, terrified to admit who that someone was. She anticipated their reactions, fully expecting them to become angry with her, or call her mad...or worse. 

"Who, Talon?" questioned Jace fondly, as he used her nickname without bothering to correct himself this time. 

Kayn was silent in all this, trusting in Jace, whom Talondressa seemed to trust more than he, to coax the answers Kayn sought out of her. 

Talon huffed. "Lord Illidan," she replied flatly. She nearly spat the words--not at all out of disrespect for their master, but simply because she did not know how else to give the truth other than to force it out of her mouth before she had time to think it through and stop herself. But she had said it, aloud, and now she had to wait for the angry reactions she knew were coming. 

Instead, she was surprised to find that silence hung in the air for several long moments. Even Kayn, whom she expected to boisterously express his vehement rejection of such a notion, said absolutely nothing. Time seemed to slow around them as the two men contemplated this new information, and Talon was left to agonize over their true feelings about what she had said.

Finally, one of them spoke. 

"Commander…." It was Kayn. He seemed to be carefully calculating his words. "We all feel the loss of Lord Illidan deeply. He was our master and creator. And we all appreciate that you now carry the burden of leading us and finding a new purpose for us. We are all grateful to you for taking up the mantle of Slayer. Even Lord Illidan himself was. But he is gone now--his purpose lies elsewhere, and ours is yet to be discovered. So why, pray tell, do you insist on bothering him now?" His tone, which had started out placid, grew more terse over time until he nearly posed his final question with a shout. 

"General Sunfury, please," Jace murmured before Talon had a chance to snap back.

"Do you feel inadequacy in the face of our newest threat?" Kayn plowed on as if the lieutenant had never spoken up. "Because we all do! But we are all looking to _you_ to guide us! It is especially disheartening to discover that the one who is supposed to be leading us is trying to find a way out of doing so!" His voice was nearly deafening with all its emotion and wrathful indignance.

"That's unfair, General!" the lieutenant cried. 

"Someone is coming for me with an essence of power to infect me with and I want to take it!" Talondressa blurted, spurred on by Kayn's accusations. "I'm going to take it! And then I'm going to bring Lord Illidan back, and together, we are going to lead the Illidari and the rest of Azeroth in the fight against N'zoth! I will be powerful, and strong, and with Lord Illidan by my side, nothing will stand a chance!" Talon's voice boomed with the echo of her demon as she finished: " _Not even an Old God!_ " 

The two men, startled, stared at their leader with what would be wide eyes. 

"What?!" Kayn demanded a moment later, utterly shocked at the unbelievable news he had just received. 

"I am not shirking my duties as leader, you ungrateful imbecile!" Talondressa continued, the demonic echo still present. She had never cursed her general, or anyone in her charge before. 

The other two noticed the Slayer's runes glowing brighter than usual. The night elf frowned. 

"I have a _plan_ ," the angered Slayer continued. "I was merely waiting until more pieces had fallen into place to inform you, but of course you had to go snooping around where you--" 

"That's enough," the frowning Jace cut her off firmly. "Enough, please. This is madness."

Talondressa whirled on Jace. "Madness?" she asked quietly; too quietly. "Madness?!" She repeated herself in a louder tone before shouting at the pair once again. "An _Old God_ has been unleashed upon our planet, Jace, in case you were unaware!" Her tone was sarcastic and biting, but she cared little. She was angry and out of control, and was barely aware of what she spoke anymore. 

"Yes, I am aware of that," Jace replied in an exasperated tone. 

"Would you stop shouting at us!" Kayn demanded, his tone rising once again to match hers. "We are all aware of what has transpired following the events of the raid on the Palace. We are all aware that we stand little chance. But that does not mean we should run away and grasp at straws that _don't even exist_ in order to try and succeed, because that will get us nowhere! And as for this substance you speak of, would you care to explain yourself?! Who is coming for you?!"

"And why didn't you tell us sooner?" added Jace, his voice full of concern. 

His tone got through to Talon, as it always did. She took a few deep, angry breaths before she spoke again, as Jace had once taught her to. 

"Because I only just found out a few hours ago," she replied in a comparatively subdued manner. "I made a snap decision. It might infect me, but if I can survive defeating and consuming a Shivarra with my bare hands, I know I can survive whatever this is. Then I will become stronger and be able to fight the forces of N'zoth." She spoke curtly, but she did not attack them. The demonic voice was gone, and the glow of her runes faded once more. 

"Talon…," Jace began just as Kayn opened his mouth and began a rather angry-sounding sentence. "Are you alright?" 

After so long of being apart, the Lieutenant closed more distance between himself and the woman he loved until there was hardly a meter, and placed his hands gently on her shoulders; a gesture that, if done by anyone else, would have been immediately rejected. But this was Jace. He knew he had earned her trust, and never planned to betray it. At that moment, he was so filled with worry that he longed to take her up in his arms to hold her, to keep her safe and never let go of her again. But he settled for this for now, looking at what he knew to be her face, though what he truly saw was her bright green aura. 

Jace's touch sent shivers through Talon, who had not come into loving, physical contact with anyone in many months. It was so new and strong and unusual, and yet warmly familiar. Her shoulders drooped slightly under the weight of his strong grip, and she stared back at him, also gazing at his aura. She could have recognized it anywhere. 

"What do you mean?' she asked him, quieting her voice while in such close proximity. He had such a calming effect on her that her anger at Kayn began to melt away. 

"Exactly what I said. Your mind doesn’t seem to be in the right place for making big decisions.”

Talon all but scowled at him. “That’s not for you to decide,” she snapped, albeit weakly. She did not wish to raise her voice at Jace, but neither did she want to be reprimanded by him. 

“I’m not deciding it for you, Talon; it’s merely an observation. You, out of all of us, must be more careful when it comes to matters like these."

"Matters like _what_? Saving our world from total destruction?”

Jace frowned deeply as if troubled by her reply. "Potentially dangerous things that could affect our entire order. Because you are the leader and example, you must be more cautious about these sorts of things. You have to at the very least ask your own trusted advisors.”

Talon said nothing for several moments. Then, "I am only following in Lord Illidan's footsteps. Look what he did--he allowed the Legion to transform him before he even truly knew what he had gotten himself into. And he became our master. He made us all, and we were powerful enough to defeat an impossible enemy, and then some. What is so different about the situation now?" 

"A lot of things," Kayn cut in curtly. "But let's start with who even told you about this?"

Talon sighed. "Serafin. A former Illidari. She defected and is working for...someone else. When she appeared, I hardly heard her...and when I saw her—," she broke off, recalling with a shudder how chilling her aura had been. "I could not find any trace of Fel. It was...silent. Still. Cold, like the dead, but...more so. From what she told me, that's what will happen to me when I take in the substance."

Jace looked worried, and glanced at the general, hopeful that he would have another argument against such a perilous endeavor. 

However, Kayn was silent, considering. After several moments, he spoke up again. “Perhaps it truly is an opportunity just as Lord Illidan was given so long ago,” he growled. “If a lowlife traitor can survive such a transformation, then I am sure that the strongest us of—you—can handle it, as well.” He straightened, becoming more sure. His tone was calmer now. “And if it truly is as powerful as you say it is, maybe—“

"General." Jace cut him off and removed his hands from the shoulders of the Slayer. He turned to face Kayn with a stern, yet respectful, expression. "Can I have a moment alone? I promise I will fill you in on all pertinent information once the conversation is over. Then you can rejoin and we can brief her." 

Kayn's face darkened with rage, and he opened his mouth to snap a retort at him and refuse, but thought better of it. He, like the Slayer, was worked up, and that was no way to hold such a crucial conversation. With a growl, he spun on his heel and marched out of the room without another word.


End file.
